Vogue is suing Black Vogue

Vogue Magazine (Advance Publications, the parent company of Condé Nast USA) recently filed a lawsuit against the Black Vogue brand for trademark infringement. Advance Publications has filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York against designer Nareasha Willis, alleging that she used the “Black Vogue” trademark on some of the garments she sold without authorization. According to Advance Publications, Willis is using a trademark (Black Vogue) that is easily confused, both in name and design, with Condé Nast’s more famous “Vogue,” thereby risking the creation of a connection—which in reality does not exist—between the two entities.

In recent months, Willis reportedly attempted to register the trademark but was denied by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the grounds that it could be confused with the Vogue trademarks already registered by Advance Publications.